he's a navy veteran. he'd been elected to the montana legislature in 2004. >> this district actually encompasses this side of the valley, north of... >> ryssdal: he showed me around. and he told me about the surprise he ran into during his 2008 campaign. >> i knew that i was going to have opposition, but i had no concept whatsoever of the power and viciousness. >> ryssdal: in the republican primary that year, ward faced a conservative challenger with little political experience, a guy named mike miller. >> he wasn't a good campaigner. he was afraid of people. and he wouldn't appear at places. >> ryssdal: and then just days before the primary, ward's district was blitzed with mailers from a bunch of outside groups attacking him. >> here it is. >> ryssdal: wow. "john ward voted with criminal coddling liberal activists." "are high energy prices killing you?" "john ward had a choice." instead you raised their taxes. "mothers against child predators." "certified to be true and accurate." >> well, yeah, you can